I have a faucet like the one shown in the below Fig.1.
The faucet does not leak under normal operation. But when I press downward with some force on the top of the handle, water overflows out the tops and sides of the crystal knob. All the faucets in the house behave the same way. But it's an old house. So they all might be bad.
Does this faucet need to be repaired? Or is it working as designed?
Fig.1. Single control faucet: water comes out the top and sides of knob when knob is pressed down
Best Answer
No, the faucet should not leak like you describe when moderate pressure is applied directly straight into the faucet knob. Excessive force there is a possibility that it would leak unless you broke it first in which case you would likely have a gusher to deal with.
There are seals onside this type of faucet assembly that can get worn, old and hard and even crack with age and use. When the seals start to fail it can leak in various ways under multiple use scenarios. Sometimes it is simply a process that the seals need some lubricated with food grade petroleum jelly. But in most leak situations like you describe you would have to turn off the water source and take the faucet apart so that the seals and maybe even the ball valve can be replaced.